Category: How-To

Having a website is important because this site can be a one stop shop for all the information that your clients or potential clients need to know about you, your business and your services. You can also include links to related sites, like links to your social media accounts. Also, people looking for services would usually search for a business’ website mostly to ensure that the business is legit and credible.

There are platforms where you can build your sites for free. Yes, for free! However, your site will be under a subdomain of these free sites. We’ll have more of this later.

The other option is to go for a self hosted site. Which brings me to:

How I was able to set up my self hosted site. But before I go into details, here are some caveats.

I am from the Philippines and I availed the services of a local provider from here

Providers will have different processes in doing their business. Therefore, what I’m sharing with you is purely based on my experience – decision making about domain names and hosting, communications with the service provider, up until my website went online.

Domain Name and Hosting

Step 1: Choose a domain name

A domain name is the web address that you will register. Your domain name should be something that represents you or the business where you are going to use it for.

Step 2: Choose your domain name and/or web host provider

Most service providers have both domain name registration and web hosting services. You also have the option of registering your domain name with one provider, and the web hosting with another provider. You have to know which one works for you, depending on your personal or business need.

In my case, I went for the same provider for both my domain name registration. This is because I know I’m keeping my new domain name for several years and that it’s more cost effective in the long run. There are available discounted domain name registrations actually. However, this is only applicable usually to new registrations but the succeeding years will have the regular rates.

My current provider is coffeemags.com (no, this is not a paid advertisement but you can mention to them that you came to know about them through this blog). I sent them an email inquiry first and I made sure that all my questions, no matter how stupid I think some of the questions were, were answered and that everything is clear to me. Feel free to ask all your questions as well, before committing to anything.

When everything was clear to me, they just asked me to login to their site (create an account if you don’t have one yet) and went ahead and placed my order. Payment can either be via BPI or Paypal. I used Paypal so that it’s faster.

Right after I ordered, I received several emails to confirm my purchase, including confirmation from Paypal since it was what I used to pay.

I also received an email from CoffeeMags admin that contains all the details of the services I availed, including login credentials for my WordPress admin site and the control panel area.

Step 3: Validate Setup

Given the URLs and login credentials, I went ahead and logged in to WordPress admin.

Upon logging in, this was my default WordPress view.

And my site is up!

The control panel, or more known as the cPanel contains all the backend stuff for your site. It’s mostly technical but it’s also interesting to have a look at it. Here’s a screenshot of some of the available tools. There are a lot but if you’re feeling geeky, then you can start exploring them as well.

Pricing

So how much does it cost?

These information are all from my provider’s site.

Domain name registration:

Web hosting:

And that’s it.

So, are you getting yours too? 🙂 🙂 🙂

P.S. If you’re wondering why I did it at this point where I don’t have an established business to promote, because I think it’s cool to have a yourname.com LOL. Half-kidding aside, I am an IT professional and I’m naturally curious about stuff that involve websites and programming, even though I said goodbye to programming eons ago. My site will serve as my “development environment” because I want to play around with all the plugins which involve input forms, order forms and payments! Also, I just want an online portfolio under my name.

If there is a mobile app for WordPress.com, there should also be one for self-hosted WordPress sites, right? Right.

But it’s not actually a separate app. You can use the mobile app for both .com and your self-hosted site.

How? By using the Jetpack plugin.

Here’s what I learned should be done. I’ve watched 2 tutorials in YouTube too.

Download the WordPress mobile app.

You should have an account in WordPress.com. If none yet, go ahead and sign up.

Install Jetpack plugin. You will do this in your self-hosted site’s admin site, and not in the WordPress.com site. It requires version 4 and up so update your version if needed.

Activate the Jetpack plugin.

You need to approve access of WordPress.com to your site (or maybe it’s the other way around). I cannot remember the button that shows up as per the video. In my case, I was logged in to WordPress.com at the time I clicked on Activate button so I was right away redirected to the Approve button. You need to approve that so that your site will be listed in WordPress.com.

When you login to the mobile app, you can now see your site, as shown below.

I am still in the discovery phase. Like right now, I can’t find the full justify option hehe.

This year, I’ll try growing some vegetables in the apartment. I only have a “balcony” outside the window to put my pots. Also, given the weather in Manila, I’m not sure if my plants will survive but I still want to try it anyway.

It will also be my first time to grow vegetables in pots and plastic seedbed (this is used to grow seeds to young plants before they are transferred to a garden or field).

For my first try, I planted pechay. Again, this is just my first try so I don’t know yet if I’ll be successful or not. But I hope I will be :).

What you need:

Pechay seeds – I used the flowering variety and bought it from a farm supply in Baguio because it’s cheaper there. Got it for Php 25.00. I think in supermarkets here, the prices start at Php 50.00.

Soil – brought it from Baguio in the past. Too expensive in Ace Hardware :p. I cannot really convince myself to spend that much on soil so I just brought down some every time I went home. But wait, talo ako ng friend ko…maleta ang dala nya para sa lupa hehehe….

Plastic seedbed – I saw this lying in the backyard, used by my late father. I just got it to see if I can use this. You can use any other container like water bottles or plastic as long as it can hold soil.

Water

Steps:

Put soil in the seedbed. Don’t push it down too hard so that the soil does not become compact, thus roots will have a hard time to spread/grow. If there are clumped soil, break it into almost fine particles.

Water it. (I had the mistake of planting the seeds first before watering and the soil sank a little and I worried that the seeds may have been buried deeper than they should be hehe)

Plant seeds. Just dip your middle finger in the soil until it sinks to about 1/4 inches deep, drop one seed, then cover with soil.

NOTES:

If you are using bigger pots, distance of seeds from each other should be about 4 inches.

Be careful to just take out enough seeds from its container as bringing out all but not using it might contaminate the rest of the seeds.

Be sure to seal the pack if there are still seeds in it. Better yet, keep it in a tightly sealed container (like bottle, just how I remember my parents store leftover seeds back in the day) and away from direct sunlight.

For those in Makati—a friend who lives there (at least in the San Antonio area) told me that their barangay is giving soil for free for those who are interested in growing their own vegetables.

That’s it. I did not put any fertilizers. I don’t plan to use pesticides either since this is just for home consumption.

Pack of pechay

Information at the back of the pack

The plastic seedbed after putting soil in it. No plants yet

For its maintenance, I just ensure that the soil is moist so that’s watering it every other day.

Two days after planting, there were signs of growing plants already. As of this writing, they are around 4 inches tall, but still so…thin hehe.

DISCLAIMER: I am not an Agriculture graduate. I am also not an expert in gardening. I just happen to be a gardener’s daughter so what I know is limited to what we were asked to work on in our small garden. As I mentioned here, most of our work as children were in the preparation of the plots, watering the plants, weeding out, and harvesting. Not really so much on planting. If I relate that to office work, most of our tasks back then were just the boring, routinary admin stuff hehe.

Last January, I needed to have a copy of my birth certificate that’s issued by National Statistics Office (NSO). Good thing that requests such as this can now be done online in few easy steps! Several options are available like filing out of online form, via chat, or calling a hotline. NSO’s website comprehensively describes each option.

As for me, I decided to just call the hotline because it’s my first time and I may have some verification along the way.

So, here goes (as per personal experience):

Step 1: Call the hotline. Now, it’s (02)-737-1111
An agent will get all the details needed to be able to process your request. It is advisable that you know the pertinent details, which pretty much are also found in your birth certificate so you may want to have even just a photocopy of your birth certificate while on the call. After that, the agent will provide you with a reference number. Do not lose this number since you’ll need it later.

Aside from your birth details, you will also be asked for your mailing address. If you’re like me who have problems with no one to receive it at home, you may opt to have it picked up in a branch nearest you. As per time of request, they deliver via Air 21. The agent was kind enough to find the branch most convenient for me.

Lastly, the agent will advise you of the total amount you should pay. Again, as per time of request, I was charged Php350.00, with a delivery address in Metro Manila.

Step 2: Make Payment
Again, there are different options for this such as credit card, Bayad Center, Bancnet ATM, etc. Choose which is most convenient for you. As for me, I just paid using my credit card via this site. Just enter the reference number given to you in Step 1, and follow the succeeding instructions.

Step 3: Wait for the Delivery
You will receive several text messages on the status of your request. So just sit back and relax. In my case, I requested on a Monday and I was able to pick up my document on a Wednesday.

And you’re done.

Easy, quick, convenient but it may be more expensive. I believe charge is cheaper if you personally go to NSO. However, you would have to commute so additional budget on fare, and since NSO is far from your place of residence, you may get hungry and would buy food, plus this, plus that…you get the drift? Hehe.

I just have a concern which I still don’t know the answer until now (haven’t had time to research). I think the copy that NSO has of my birth certificate is so old that the clearest scanned copy is not really clear. There are some data that are not even readable anymore. Can they release another official copy with much clearer details? I hope so.

I needed some documents from St. Louis University (SLU) but going there personally to file my request was not an option. After a quick search in SLU’s website, I found this and just followed the instructions. Below are the steps I did.

Step 1: Send email to sluregis@slu.edu.ph

My email (sent January 5, 2013)

To whom it may concern:This is to request for the following credentials without picture:1. Original Transcript of Records2. Certificate of Graduation

>>I used a friend’s address because someone is always at her place to receive my documents<<

Is there a possibility that this be mailed via LBC or Air21?

Are there other payment options aside from check/money order?Can I just deposit it in a bank? If yes, may I know the account number?Or can someone in Baguio pay it for me? If yes, what does he/she need to provide?

Hope to hear from you soon for the next steps.

Thanks!

Their reply (sent January 7, 2013)

Dear >>me<<:

Greetings of Peace!

Thank you for your e-mail addressed to the Registrar and forwarded to me, requesting this office to furnish you with a copy of your Official Transcript of Records.

In this regard, please be informed that it is a standing policy of the University not to release any school credential unless all financial obligations have been settled with the Accounting Office. As such, may we then request you to remit the following charges to defray the expenses incurred in processing your request which will take 15 working days upon receipt and payment of fees.

You can advise somebody to come visit the office and settle, in your behalf, the financial obligation so we can start processing your request.

Should you have more queries, please feel free to get in touch with us.

All the best for the year 2013!

Note: Fees vary depending on your request. They will provide you with that in their reply. For estimated cost, there are rates published in their site.

I sent them another email informing them that it will be my sister who will process on my behalf.

Step 2: Request my sister to process my request
The following day, my sister was available to process my request. She just needed to go to the Registrar’s Office to pay the fees. For hassle free transaction, I asked her to print the email exchange I had with the office, tell the guard about her business, look for the person who replied in my email and state her business LOL. True enough, after just a few minutes, she was done. They just advised her that processing will take at least 15 working days and they will just send my documents to the address I provided them.

Step 3: Take note of the expected delivery of your document so you can make a follow up should it be delayed.
I was expecting my documents to arrive at least on the last week of January but lucky me, it arrived just a week after my sister went to their office. Based from experience, these delivery services usually require someone to receive whatever package they deliver. Since no one is available to receive it where I live, I opted to ask the favor from my friend. I did not ask though if it is an option to pick up such package in any branch nearest you. I’m not sure if SLU allows it. Another company doesn’t, due to the type of document (again, based from personal experience).